BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Indiana University Bloomington and Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne have been selected for the 2010 Community Engagement Classification by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, recognizing their commitment to engagement through teaching, research, service and partnerships.

The Carnegie Foundation approved 115 U.S. colleges and universities for the classification, which encourages the schools to become more deeply engaged in generating socially responsive knowledge to benefit communities. They join 196 institutions that previously received the classification.

The Fairview Violin Project is one of the partnerships featured by IU Bloomington in its engagement classification application.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis was selected for the classification in 2006, the first year it was offered. Examples of engagement include economic development assistance for the state of Indiana, arts and cultural programming, service-learning and community volunteerism, international studies and partnerships, research in areas such as health and education, and other activities.

"The Carnegie engagement classification is an affirmation of IU Bloomington's engagement and outreach activities 'around the corner and across the globe,'" said Provost and Executive Vice President Karen Hanson. "In keeping with the mission of the university, the campus supports dynamic partnerships that benefit communities nearby and far away. Credit for this important recognition goes to the thousands of students, faculty and staff who work every day to extend the reach of the university beyond the Sample Gates."

IPFW Chancellor Michael Wartell said the classification endorses longstanding efforts by the campus to sustain a close and mutually beneficial relationship with the Fort Wayne area community.

"IPFW has always striven to be a part of the community and to have the community be a part of the campus," he said. "This recognition by the Carnegie Foundation shows we have achieved both goals and we will continue partnering with the community."

Unlike other Carnegie classifications, which are based on national data, colleges and universities apply for the engagement classification. They provide descriptions and examples of practices that show alignment among mission, culture, leadership and resources in support of engagement.

Partnerships featured in the IU Bloomington application include Leadership Bloomington-Monroe County, the Fairview Elementary School Violin Project, and the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community. Also highlighted are the Bradford Woods Therapeutic Recreation Program, Indiana Consortium for Mental Health Services Research, Arts Week, Indiana NonProfits project, Eppley Institute: Great Lakes Park Training Institute, Center for Evaluation and Education Policy, Kelley Business Education Network, Center for Sexual Health Promotion, RAICES (Research in Action Initiative for Community Health, Environment and Sustainable Tourism), Protective Order Project, Indiana Geographic Information Council and Center for P-16 Research and Collaboration.

"Indiana University has broad and deep connections with the greater community, and this relationship brings great benefits to the people who live in this area," said Barry Lessow, executive director of United Way of Monroe County Inc. "It provides opportunities for students, strengthens nonprofits, creates a better understanding of how to be civically engaged, and brings creativity, energy and knowledge to the work we all do. To see this recognized by the Carnegie Foundation is a tremendous achievement for the campus."

Wartell announced the campus's engagement classification at a Jan. 5 news conference, at which he was joined by Susan Hannah, IPFW professor of political science and former vice chancellor for academic affairs, who spearheaded the application process; Fort Wayne Mayor Tom Henry; and Daryl Yost of the Northeast Indiana Innovation Center.

The Carnegie Foundation created the engagement classification in 2006 as part of an extensive restructuring of the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. It worked with a team of advisers and conducted a pilot study of a small number of institutions to develop the framework for the classification, which was previously offered in 2006 and 2008.

The foundation, established by Andrew Carnegie in 1905 and chartered in 1906 by an Act of Congress, is an independent policy and research center. Its current mission is to support needed transformations in American education through tighter connections between teaching practice, evidence of student learning, the communication and use of this evidence, and structured opportunities to build knowledge.